No 2008 Presidential Run for Frist

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As it turned out, service as the U.S. Senate's majority leader for the last
four years has apparently been a hindrance to the presidential ambitions of
Tennessee senator Bill Frist rather than a stepping stone.
Trapped between a duty to advance the increasingly unpopular positions -- both
foreign and domestic -- of the Bush administration and what may have been his
own private doubts, Frist saw his own political profile decline in public
opinion polls.

Whether that consideration was large in his thinking or not, Frist announced
on Wednesday that he would not seek the Republican nomination for the presidency
in 2008. What follows is the statement he released in Nashville:

Statement of Majority Leader Bill Frist Regarding his Political Intentions

"My dad in
his later years wanted to impart some wisdom to his grandchildren and great
grandchildren he would never meet. One thing he wrote that has stuck with me-
in fact been a clarion call to me - was "there is so much good to do in the
world and so many ways to do it."

"Politics
is a noble occupation. Medicine is a noble profession. Service to others
underlies both.

"The
people of Tennessee elected me twice to the U. S. Senate, and I was humbled
and honored by their support and every day I did my best to serve them with
integrity and common sense.

"Twelve
years ago, I pledged to the people of Tennessee that I would serve two terms
in the Senate - to serve as a true citizen legislator - and then return home.
I said I'd come to the Senate with 20 years experience in healing, spend 12
years serving in Washington, then go right back to Tennessee to live where I
grew up. I've never deviated from that commitment. And I will do just that.

"In the
Bible, God tells us for everything there is a season, and for me, for now,
this season of being an elected official has come to a close. I do not intend
to run for president in 2008.

"Karyn and
I will take a sabbatical from public life. At this point a return to private
life will allow me to return to my professional roots as a healer and to
refocus my creative energies on innovative solutions to seemingly
insurmountable challenges Americans face.

"We have
been blessed with the prayers and support of countless individuals around the
country who have shared our vision of making America a better place. We thank
you and pledge to represent these values in our daily lives and wherever our
journey takes us next.

"I
especially thank Karyn, who has honored me with her love every step along the
way. And to our sons- Harrison, Jonathan and Bryan and our extended family:
your support and love has sustained me both in and out of politics.

"That call
from my father still rings true, so we will explore ways to continue to serve
outside of politics. Politics for us was never an end-- it was a means-- a
means to serve our country and humanity, to improve lives. And for that
opportunity I am truly grateful.

"Karyn and
I will seek the best opportunity to serve. I may eventually return to what
I've done for most of my adult life, heal through medicine and health.

"In the
short term, I will resume my regular medical mission trips as a doctor around
the world to serve those in poverty, in famine, and in civil war. I will
continue to be a strong voice to fix what is broken in our health care system
and to address the issues of clean water and public health globally. We will
stay actively engaged in policy issues affecting the lives of Americans.

"The time
for Karyn and me to leave Washington has arrived and we do so with tremendous
respect for the institution of the Senate and for my colleagues, for our
government, for our President, for the genius of the American people, and for
the enduring principles of freedom and liberty upon which our country has
prospered."

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With two months to go before first major vote, candidate assemblies are due to multiply.

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Even as the year 2018 advances, with its plethora of county, state, and federal election contests, the city election of 2019 is throwing some hints of things to come. Mike Williams in; Statue hangover in Sawyer vs. Gatewood?

With two months to go before first major vote, candidate assemblies are due to multiply.

Angus McEachran, who, over the course of decades, won awards as a hard-driving journalist and editor and climaxed his career as editor of The Commertcial Appeal, his hometown daily newspaper, has died at the age of 78.